A Life For Him, Not For Me

December 11, 2011

“For what I am doing, I do not understand for what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I that does it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Romans 7:15-20

“For you have not so learned in Christ…” Ephesians 4:20

This has been a hard week. God’s been knocking me over the head again and again. We’ve been talking about the Holy Spirit and it’s been a lot of me realizing how incredibly selfish I am. I wanted the Holy Spirit so that I could heal people, not to bring glory to the Father. I suck! You know those times where you just have this realization and you’re like CRAP! I flipping suck. I can’t wait to get to Heaven where I don’t have to battle sin day in and day out! I want to be like Jesus. I wish I could with the snap of my finger.

What I’ve been really trying to sink in lately is...IT’S NOT ABOUT ME! EVER! It’s not about what I want, what I feel, what I think, or what I think I need. It’s about love. The whole story is about love. The beginning, the plot, the climax, the resolution...it all harmonizes with the beautiful melody of love. Creation groans out of desperation for that very word. It brings people together, never pushes them apart. Love is behind all good things. LOVE IS BEHIND ALL GOOD THINGS. Love does not know evil. It doesn’t associate with sin. Love knows nothing other than how to love. (And the cool thing is that God and love are interchangeable. So you can reread that paragraph and replace God for Love each timeJ)

GOD IS LOVE! He bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. GOD NEVER FAILS!  1Corinthians 13:7-8

“For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Every time I deny myself, I gain. I gain the advancement of the kingdom. I gain the ability to do Jesus’ work more effectively. With this mindset I can live to Christ and I die to Christ—with every aspect of life summed up in Jesus, I literally have no room or time to think about myself.